Paria

Colour, 35mm
France, 2000, 126 min
Section: Horizons - Awarded Films

Synopsis

While Paris is gearing up to celebrate the year 2000, 18-year-old Victor becomes homeless from one day to the next. On the very day that he falls in love with Anabella, someone steals his moped causing him to lose his job as a messenger for a video club. On top of that he gets kicked out of his flat since he hasn’t paid the rent in three months. And because he comes from the country he has no relatives to turn to. Victor roams around Paris trying to remain calm and to convince his girl over the phone that everything’s alright. On the street he meets Momo, a guy a couple years older who already has experience being homeless and who is willing to initiate Victor into the daily routine of society’s disinherited. Victor has thought up a way he can get a bit of money: he might be party to a so-called paper marriage – that is if he can find his identity papers.

About the director

Nicolas Klotz started out as a documentary filmmaker. In 1987 he shot a bio of acclaimed Indian musician Pandit Ravi Shankar. Other bios followed: Robert Wyatt (1992), James Carter (1998) and Brad Mehldau (1999). For the documentary Song of Sand and Stars (1996, Chant de sable et d’étoiles) he was awarded the Italia 97 Special Prize. His feature debut came in 1988 with Bengali Night (La nuit Bengali), and his Sacred Night (1993, La nuit sacrée) was selected for the competition at the Tokyo IFF. In addition to Paria, which won the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastian IFF 2000, last year he made the TV movie An Angel in Danger (Un ange en danger).